10 national parks you really need to explore

There are such a diverse range of landscapes to explore in this country – one minute you’ll be winding along a scenic coastline, and the next you’ll be driving through a desert surrounded by more cacti than you can count.

As a foreigner who has come back to the US again and again to explore more of both the big cities and the varied countryside, I’ve had the pleasure of getting acquainted with some of it’s best national parks. Taking some time to explore these wild areas in depth is something I would recommend to anybody.

During US national park week, entrance fees are waived making it 100% free to visit any national park! So, if you’re in the states and have a day to spare, dust off your hiking boots and grab your camera, then pick one of these unbelievably photogenic US national parks to explore.

1. YELLOWSTONE, WYOMING

It’s really no surprise that Yellowstone was declared the world’s first national park back in 1872. Before I visited, I knew that it would be an amazing place to explore, but really nothing could prepare me for just how large and wild and scenic Yellowstone is. This place has the ability to blow your mind.

At Yellowstone you’ll find everything from multi-day hikes through the wilderness, to geysers (watching Old Faithful blow every 35-120 minutes is a must), thermal lakes, massive waterfalls, and grizzly bears. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with Yellowstone – it has something for everyone.

The redwood trees in Redwood National Park are some of the tallest in the world. Their trunks the size of a small house and sit directly beside the road – so close that you have to be careful not to knock off your side mirror as you pass by. As we navigated each curve of the narrow road through this impressive rainforest, I got the feeling that I was in a foreign and unfamiliar world.

This national park, which is situated along the northern Californian coast, has multiple day hikes and picnic grounds for you to enjoy a day frolicking in the forest.

Bryce Canyon is the kind of place that looks fairly interesting in photos, and then when you actually get there it’s way more amazing than you imagined. As you stand on the rim of the canyon, you literally can’t comprehend how crazy this unique landscape is.

Bryce Canyon’s rocky spires (otherwise known as hoodoos) change color depending on the time of the day, and there are countless angles for you to take photos from. Spend a day hiking or just sit and watch the canyon reflect the sunset.

This national park is not one of the most famous in the US, but it should be. Most people visit Zion just because they’re passing through, but are surprised by how unbelievably scenic it is. The park’s yellow and orange rock-like mountains surround some scattered forest, rivers, waterfalls, and wildlife.

I visited Zion as part of a tour and managed to take the above photo with just a shitty old digital camera. Zion’s scenic vistas are spectacular enough to make a photographer out of anyone.

Any MacBook users might recognize Yosemite from the OS X desktop images. El Capitan (the giant rock-mountain that towers over Yosemite valley) is the most photographed scene.

This national park wins the competition for the most spectacular waterfalls (including Horsetail Falls which glows orange with the sunset at certain times of the year). It also features a lush deep green forest of pine trees, and hikes ranging from super easy to stupidly hard.

Yosemite is one of those places where I spent half a day exploring, and wished I could extend it to a few days instead. If you’re planning a trip, make a weekend of it if you can!

There’s no way I could put together a list of the best US national parks without including the Grand Canyon. I’ve visited twice (once to the south rim and once to the north rim), and I could honestly go back another 10 times and not get sick of it. It’s just so damn big that you could easily spend a week there and manage to do a different thing every day.

There are day hikes, multi-day hikes, rivers, cliffs, forest, and wild landscapes. If you have some spending money available, you could even do a helicopter tour over the canyon (I splashed out on this and can vouch for it being a truly awesome experience).

Badlands is sort of an otherworldly place. The landscape is all grey and rocky with grass covered plains that you can wander through and pretend like you’ve landed on an unfamiliar planet.

The road winds right beside many of the rock formations, so taking a car through here is a must. Badlands is also not so far away from Mt Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial, so if you have a weekend to spare, you can tick off them all in one go!

I’ll admit, I didn’t actually go into Grand Tetons National Park, but I vividly remember staring intently out the window of the bus for at least an hour as we made our way south past it’s spectacular mountains. If you’re looking for a place to take scenic photos, you will be guaranteed to get some here.

The national park also has lakes, hikes, wildlife, campgrounds, and native american history.

I really love cactuses, so I guess it makes sense that I really loved Saguaro National Park. I had no idea how absolutely massive these cactuses grew until I stood beside one and looked up at it towering metres above my head.

The best things to do in Saguaro are to drive through the cactus forest, do some walking trails, or take a picnic to enjoy while you admire the landscape.

My visit to Rocky Mountain National Park started in Estes, a gorgeous little town in the valley of the mountains. If you head here in summer, you can grab free shuttle buses running to all of the park’s major attractions and trailheads approximately every half hour. You don’t even need a car!

Rocky Mountain National Park has so many activities that you’ll be spoilt for choice. Take your pick of hiking, fishing, horseback riding, rafting, bicycling, climbing, or wildlife watching.